


I've heard a lot about you

by zillywair (orphan_account)



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: First Dates, First Kiss, It’s Free Self Projection, Love at First Sight, M/M, colress and nate have a father/son like relationship, haha thats a lot of firsts huh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-04-28 02:15:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14439318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/zillywair
Summary: Colress never knew N. All he's heard is rumors, lies and some praise now and then.None of that could have ever prepared him for meeting the real deal.





	I've heard a lot about you

**Author's Note:**

> this ship is underrated and i have to do everything around here to make content for it. constructive criticism is allowed!

His hair, his voice, and his undying love for Pokemon. It was everything about N Harmonia that made you fall in a big, deep pool of love.

You never knew N. All you had ever heard of him was stories from Ghetsis about what a “brat” he was and the grunts and Zinzolin calling him a traitor. You never let yourself believe that. You knew Ghetsis well enough to know that he was lying about it all. That N wasn’t as awful as he kept describing him as. But you didn’t know who N was. You didn’t know him at all, so you could never defend him. You just kept your mouth shut and did your job. That was your entire experience working for Team Plasma.

It was no secret to anyone that you weren’t happy with your workplace. But you settled for anything if it meant furthering your research. You came to realize after Team Plasma fell apart that maybe you shouldn’t have settled for a job that would force you into cruelty towards Pokemon. That was your fault. It was a mistake on your part so bad you had to break the group apart once Ghetsis left. You learned from it, and you realized that there is a way to approach the true strength in Pokemon other than heartless service that left nothing good for both parties.

It was thanks to that Trainer. It was thanks to him that you were able to realize that you could naturally tap into their potential with close, loving bonds formed through kind and warm-hearted experiences.

You taught this to the grunts that were left in the Plasma Frigate with nowhere to go. You taught them to treat Pokemon kindly, even if they are not yours. You told them if they kept treating their Pokemon kindly, you’d let them keep them if they could never find their original owners. The leftover grunts agreed to this, and you saw more interactions between all of them and their partners. It touched your heart to see that, just like you, they were learning.

One day, you were just about to leave the Frigate for some food before you overheard a conversation between two grunts. At first you brushed it off, until you heard one of them say. “What do you think will happen when Colress and N meet?”

You paused there. You and him… meeting? You didn’t think he was still alive. It had been two years since the original takeover by Team Plasma, and since N disappeared. You thought he was long, long gone away. You couldn’t confirm that for sure, but it seemed likely.

“I don’t know… maybe they’d get along? Colress really likes stuff about strength in Pokemon, and with N’s ability to talk to them, maybe they could hit it off really well? Or maybe if he learned about what Colress did…”

You froze at that thought. The thought of someone so close to all the grunts, someone widely known among all of them, disliking you for a past mistake you made. You would understand the hatred. It was dumb on your part to be okay with putting Kyurem under extreme stress to freeze over an entire city. But… the thought of a man, who never knew you, who would probably only judge you for your past as opposed to who you really are, made you sick.

You were trying to get better. You knew what you should and shouldn’t do, and yes sometimes you’d make mistakes, but you would always try to correct them if you caught them. It made you feel awful to know that no one would acknowledge your change. No one had to, of course, but it felt different with N.

“No, no, don’t think like that! I think they’d get along really well! I’m sure if we tell him enough good things about Colress he’ll grow to like him. They both really like Pokemon. It just… wouldn’t make sense for them to hate each other.”

You kept yourself moving. While the other grunt’s opinion did make you feel better, you decided it was for the best if you just walked away from it. You were really hungry, anyways.

 

 

You woke up to the sound of an excited grunt shaking you awake in your room. You didn’t know how to tell them to stop at the moment, what time was it, anyways?

“Dr. Colress! Wake up!!” they urged you while still rocking you back and forth before you eventually fell off the bed. “Oh! Sorry!”

You grumbled a bit, your hair a mess and completely blind. You managed to find your glasses and put them back on, and you looked at the grunt who woke you with squinted eyes while you adjusted to the new brightness of your room.

“What is it? Is something happening?” you asked them while rubbing your eyes and fixing your hair. You had to get that swirl just right.

“Yes!! Something really exciting!!! I’ll show you!!” and then they bolted out the door, leaving you in your pajamas and with a dazed expression on your face.

You grabbed your lab coat and lazily covered your sleepwear with it. Then you exited out your room and let the grunt drag you to wherever this exciting thing was happening.

Suddenly, you were a lot more grateful for being woken up early in the morning.

He was gorgeous. His green hair tucked into a lazy ponytail, his white overshirt loosely untucked and his eyes giving him a dreamy, calm, undisturbed look. You… wow, you couldn’t even describe the state of emotion you were feeling right now. All you could determine was that you were left in transfixed state and you didn’t know how to get yourself out of it.

It was embarrassing. You froze in front of a stranger who you don’t even know the name of.

“Colress! Are you awake? Sorry for waking you up so early, but I really wanted you to meet him while everyone else was reuniting with him, too!” the grunt who carried you out explained. “This is N! You’ve probably heard of him, right?”

This… this was N? You never imagined he was so… handsome. So beautiful… you were probably staring at him like crazy right now. But you couldn’t let yourself look away. Not when he was the center of everything right now.

“Yes, I have heard about him. Ha…” you weakly replied while trying to get yourself together. Quickly patting yourself down, you stretched out one hand to him. “My name is Colress. I’m a scientist and I was part of Team Plasma. I’ve heard a lot about you, N. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

He took it. Wow, his grip was soft. His skin was super soft. You’re glad you didn’t put on your gloves even if it only meant you got to feel his hand. He shook it and looked at you with the softest, most caring expression anyone has ever given you in your life. Not even your parents ever looked at you like that.

“I’ve heard a lot about you too, Colress. You must be very intelligent if you were so desired by Team Plasma,” he complimented. Wow… he even complimented your intelligence. No one’s ever done that before. Not in a genuine way. “I’ve been really excited to meet you. Nate’s told me a lot about you after he became Champion, he’s actually the one who brought me here.”

“Oh? Is that so?” you asked, and sure enough that young Trainer’s face popped up from behind N’s body with a silly face on. You chuckled a bit. For a kid who managed to take down an organization that threatened the co-existence of people and Pokemon, he was very upbeat about almost everything.

“Hey, Colress! I heard you never met this guy before,” Nate greeted you with a wide smile. “And after all the times I’ve battled with you here, I thought it’d be nice to invite N over. Maybe you two can talk about stuff and get to know each other!”

N’s face lit up as Nate said the last part of his sentence. “Oh, that sounds great!” he responded with the most delighted voice. He sounded even better when he was happy. “Thank you for the idea Nate.”

He eyed you almost seductively yet somehow still keeping that strange aura of purity in his looks. N took your hand again and asked, “Do you want to hang out?”

Your face was heating up. You were thinking way to deep into this, but… was this a date? Did Nate just intentionally or unintentionally set your up for a date? Whatever the answers to both of those questions were, you already had an answer for N.

“Can I get dressed properly first?”

 

 

With gloves on and fresh clothes underneath your lab coat instead of old sleepwear, you were ready for your… date? You’re still not sure if this is a date or not. You just threw your normal stuff on and hoped he hadn’t dressed too fancy for the occasion. You didn’t want to make a fool out of yourself. Especially not in front of N.

You stepped out of your room to see Nate standing at the door, still upbeat as he ever could be. Has that kid ever stopped smiling in his life?

“So… you’re responsible for him coming here?” you asked.

“You know it!” Nate answered. His wicked grin seemed to grow even wider with that answer.

You sighed. “And… you decided that a great way to welcome him back was… to set him up with me?”

“Haha, yep! You don’t seem to have a lot of friends. I thought this would help you open up a little,” he explained, his grin more of a smug and plotting one. “Also… I saw the way you looked at him. You seem to already be super interested in him, huh?”

Your face heated up. Oh god, did you really…? No, no no no. There’s no way you’d fall for someone so quickly. No way. That just… can’t be a possibility. You’re supposed to have a crush on someone after you’ve gotten to know them for a while. That’s how it’s supposed to be.

But… Nate wasn’t off with what he was saying. You looked at him a lot when you first met him. He was just so… captivating in every single way. You never knew it was possible for a man to be so… attractive? Was it possible to find another man attractive? Was it… okay?

“…I’m not sure yet. I need a lot more time to think about that.” you confessed. “I’ve never had a romantic partner before. I’ve never been on a date. All I know about love is from all the couples from school and everything they show on TV.”

Nate gave you a pat on the back as a gesture to try and cheer you up. “Hey, it’s alright, Colress. Lots of people don’t get into relationships for one reason or another. It’s nothing to be ashamed of! Your grunts still look up to you, and I think you’re really cool!” he said in an attempt to cheer you up. You patted him on the head as a form of thanks.

“Thank you, Nate. You’re a good kid,” you told him. His smile turned back into a silly and affectionate one, hugging you as you kept patting his head. He really was a good kid. He was close with his friends, and acted nicely to everyone around him no matter what. He was a seasoned battler, fitting for the Champion, yet he never grew sour when he lost on his way climbing up to the top and never did he become to full of himself once he reached the top. Nate’s true key to success in all his battles was not only his skill, but his love for the Pokemon who fought for him everyday. And that love he has for his Pokemon has taught you so much.

Out of the corner of your eye you saw N approaching you. He looked pretty much the same as he did earlier today, which was good. Save for his white shirt now removed and his black undershirt covering his chest instead. It didn’t make you look that bad as opposed to seeing him in a suit as you were just standing there in your normal clothes.

“Did I come at a bad time?” he asked you both upon seeing Nate attached to you like a toddler hiding behind their parent. You shook your head lightly, patting Nate’s head once again.

“No, it’s quite alright. We were just finishing up, actually,” you answered, gesturing for Nate to let go. He did and backed away from the both of you, observing and probably guessing what was going to happen next.

“So, where do you want to go?” you asked him.

He took your hand with his own, gripping it softly and giving you a warm smile.

“We’re going to a place close to my heart.”

 

 

The walk from the Plasma Frigate, docked all the way in the small corner of Nuvema Town to Icirrus City would have been a long, boring journey that would have taken days. Luckily, once you both arrived in Nimbasa, you took the subway train heading to Icirrus. You didn’t even know trains went there.

The ride was quiet. Most of the other passengers were on their phones, looking at whatever they had on their screens. Others had their Pokemon out, sleeping on the laps of their Trainers or maybe the other way around. It was a nice, calm surrounding. And the silent sounds of the train moving along the tracks and N’s hand slowly creeping on top of yours to hold it made it an even more ideal situation. You could feel how warm his hand was. It was just about as warm as his personality. You liked that, a lot.

The train stopped. From the intercom you heard the speaker announce “We’ve arrived at Icirrus City. All those departing here, leave now.” With N’s hand still in your own, you both got up and walked out to the platform, and soon to the city of changing seasons.

Your grunts often argued which season Icirrus looked prettiest in. You always said it was winter, but the others constantly said it was spring or autumn or summer. You somewhat understood where they came from, but with the snow falling down ever so lightly like this, your opinion on that wouldn’t change. You were so glad you were here.

It brought back memories of your childhood when you’d go out to befriend the Ice-types that appeared near Icirrus City during this time. Your parents often warned you not to stray too close to the tower—you never did— and you’d brush of their concerns by just playing with the Vanillish and Cubchoo that came around.

“This place takes me back, you know,” you told N. “This place is pretty much my childhood. I’ll never forget all the important things that happened here.”

N smiled at you as you went on about your nostalgia for this city. He seemed to have a connection with this place as well.

“This place is pretty close to me as well. Reminds me of…” he paused and thought for a moment before shaking his head. “Never mind. I’ll tell you more about it once we get to Dragonspiral Tower.

Oh, so that’s where you were heading, huh? Interesting.

Holding your hand, he ran through the snowy ground of Icirrus towards the tall tower that loomed over the town.

 

 

The walk up the tower was… interesting, to say the least. You’ve never been here before, so luckily N could guide you up the steps of this strange tower. The room with various ledges and spirals was your least favorite part. Did the people who built this place just try and make this place as confusing to trek through as possible?

After all that, you reached the top. It was a mess, yet also very pleasing in many ways. The disordered look of the room gave it a sense of history. Like something big happened here. In fact, you were sure something big happened here, with the sudden dark face N had upon entering the room.

He let go of your hand and moved forward, facing the hole in the wall, observing the clouds as the past by. Upon closer inspection, you found that he was looking down at them. You were above the clouds. Were the both of you really this high-up?

Then he sat down. Right at the edge of the tower. That surprised you in a worrying way. How could he just sit there, without fear of what was below him if he fell down? Did he fear anything at all?

Then he motioned for you to join him. You were terrified, but you agreed. If he wasn’t scared of these heights, why should you be?

You joined him, getting as close as you could without seeming creepy. It didn’t bother him, as he graciously took your hand to try and stifle how nervous you were. You really appreciated the gesture, it actually calmed you down a lot.

His eyes were closed. He was deep in thought. You didn’t know what he was thinking, and you were a little scared to know.

“N, why are we here?” you asked him.

His eyes remained closed. “This is an important place for me. I wanted you to see this place too.”

Well, that was a pretty sound reason. Sitting here and enjoying the view was a nice first… date? You’re still not sure if this is a date or not. You kind of hope it is, really.

He continued, “But not just see it like a tourist spot. I want you to see it like I did two years ago.”

Two years ago.

That helps you remember something big that happened in this area. Was N involved in that?

“Two years ago, the original Team Plasma broke into this tower and guarded it, protecting it from any intruders who would try and stop me,” he explained. His eyes were still closed. Still thinking.

“Stop you from what?” You only had questions in you now. He was giving details and you wanted to know more and more as he kept going.

“From reviving the legendary dragon.”

And the world seemed to stop as he said that.

“It was me who called upon the legendary Pokemon… it would help me create the world in which people and Pokemon were separated… until I lost to a certain trainer, who had the other dragon. It lost to them. And it seemed like my entire world would stop right there.”

He stopped right there, and opened his eyes. He didn’t face you; his gaze was still fixed on the clouds below that covered the view of Unova down below you.

“But that trainer… they fought on. They fought on and defeated Ghetsis himself, and so the Unova region was saved from, what I realized was, the awful future of separating people and Pokemon. I had been forced to feel as though it was the only option to make this world a better place. God… I’m a fool. Why did I let myself think that?”

He let his head drop to his other, unoccupied hand and sat there, in a somewhat sulking-like state. Reminiscing on the past here made him upset. You could tell that much.

Yet you weren’t sure how to comfort him.

You’re not very good with emotions. Usually you would empathize with a person, hoping that with being able to relate to their struggles they could find comfort in not being alone. But you’ve never been through something like N’s been through before. You can’t empathize with him. All you could really do was sit there, holding his hand. Like the idiot you are.

“… I’m sorry,” was all that you could say while he just sat there as well. You didn’t know what to do. “I’m not exactly sure how to help with how bad that must have been for you.”

And you felt awful about that.

 

 

You still hadn’t gotten out of the tower, but you weren’t sure if you wanted to at this point. It was nice, even if it gave off depressing vibes of the relics of an important event that happened two years ago. N was doing better now, and he even suggested that you two move on to something else, feeling bad for accidentally ruining this moment with his past.

“I’m so sorry about that, Colress… I just got really into the moment with remembering my past,” he apologized. “I know that from those ending words, this place might be soured for me, but trust me: it will still remain close to my heart forever. If not for that reason, then another.”

“No, no… It’s alright. We all have those moments and memories sometimes, you know?” you did your best to comfort him, now that you could provide actually words for support instead of some half-assed apology. “Don’t blame yourself for it.”

He smiled again, that same smile that struck your heart hours ago the first time you met him. “Thank you so much, Colress. But let’s move on. Has anything interesting happened to you as of late?”

“Well, if it counts, than this has, definitely,” you answered. You were trying to be smooth with him, now that you were a little more certain this was a date. You still can’t really confirm, but it still really feels like one.

He giggled a bit at your answer. Wow, he actually really liked that. That’s not something you’re really… used to. At all.

“Colress, you’re way too modest! You’re a scientist, right? There’s gotta be something more entertaining in your life than just a regular old date!” he teased you.

Oh? So this WAS a date. Okay, good to finally get some confirmation on that.

Oh dear, your face is heating up now that you’re thinking about that. This is… an actual date? A real one? Like, a romantic date? Wow… you’ve never actually been on one before. You didn’t think your first one would be with a guy you only met a few hours ago. You didn’t think your first date would be with a guy at all, actually. Growing up it was always boys and girls, and you never thought it could be any different.

Maybe it’s… okay for it to be different.

“Oh, I don’t think of myself as all that modest, really…” you said bashfully, trying to hide the big red blush forming on your face. “I just can’t really imagine the most interesting thing that’s happened other than this. It’s, um, a little embarrassing, but… I’ve never been on a date before. This is all really new to me, and it actually feels nice to be on a date like this.”

Oh no, was that too much? It felt like it. You’re such an idiot… your habit of rambling got the better of you once again, huh?

“Oh, me too, actually… Heh…” he admitted. He had let go of your hand and was now clinging to your arm. “I’ve heard lots of stories about you, Colress. From everything that Nate had told me… you just, completely won me over even without having met you before. Even with some of the, uh… questionable things you’ve done in the past, I couldn’t help but completely admire your intelligence and personality. And what I think is even more attractive, is how you managed to learn from what had happened and grow from that. I can tell that, even without having known you before this point, you’ve grown.”

Words could not comprehend how that made you felt.

You couldn’t even describe an emotion for how his words made you feel. Were you happy? Relieved? At peace? One of those, for sure—maybe even all of them? But who cares about specific emotions! All you knew was that everything he said made you feel ridiculously in love.

You understood it now. The way you felt once you saw N for the very first time, how your heart beat faster and faster when he asked you to hang out with him, you knew it now. You know now.

You love N.

You barely knew him, but that didn’t matter! You love him. You love him you love him you love him you love him you love him. You love him! And maybe he loves you too. God, you hoped he did at least.

“I, uh… Wow. I really don’t know what to say…” Your face was red as a Darmanitan’s ass right now and if these thoughts go on forever you might as well be mistake for a weirdly lanky and tall Simisear.

“You don’t need to say anything.”

Now he’s coming closer and **_holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit._**

He’s kissing you. He’s really kissing you. You’ve never done this before and you’re so new to this but it feels so good. Did kisses always feels this good?

They probably did, especially when N’s soft lips are on yours and all you can feel is warmth that radiates nothing but pure, loving energies.

You are on top of the world now. Both emotionally and literally.

 

 

You both came back to the Plasma Frigate hand-in-hand. As soon as you returned, N was bombarded by the grunts again as they asked what you both did and how it was for you guys. You slipped away from the crowd, trying to find Nate and talk with him in a more private area.

And of course, you found him waiting in your lab like it was his home. Well, with how much time he spent here, it almost was.

“So, how’d it go?” he asked you, cracking open another smile as your face began to give off more flustered expressions upon remembering earlier.

“Well… It was just…” you couldn’t find a word to describe that experience. If only your brain was smart enough to come up with every positive word in existence.

“It was… amazing.” you settled on that. It was perfect. “Thank you for helping me reach out, Nate. I think I have a boyfriend now.”

He gave a thumbs up and stuck out his tongue. “Anything for you, Colress. You’re so cool, I couldn’t leave you hanging like that. You deserved to know about how wonderful is.”

You almost broke down from him calling you “cool.” Did other people… actually admire you? And not just in a professional way. Actual admiration for who you were as a person. You’ve never experienced something like that.

“Th… thank you so much…” was all you managed to say without completely fucking sobbing all over yourself. He clung to your leg, giving it a hug. He really was just pushing you to tears now, huh?

As you pat him softly on the head, you heard the door open as N entered and took a quick glance at the two of you. He approached you, opening his arms for a hug and you entered it, feeling ever so warm in his embrace. Nate kept clinging to you, looking up at both of you embracing and smiling.

N planted soft kisses on your cheek, and now you felt more connected than ever before to the people in your life who you love the most.


End file.
